An interesting review of The Daily, which has just launched on iPad. The big question will be are they offering enough value and differentiation from other news products for users to pay for it. We’ll see. I’m a bit disappointed by some of this review, but I’m sure they are not done innovating.

One bright spot worth noting was their approach to social media sharing. They are essentially allowing users to share bits of content with non-subscribers via a web interaction. This is smart.

Mobile is increasingly the device of choice for email. According to recent research, the ratio of mobile email activity spikes noticeably in the early-morning hours, between 5 and 8am, as mobile phone users are waking up and checking email before starting their day. As I’ve pointed out in other posts, mobile applications stumble when it comes time to share content via social media, email or SMS. Email newsletters are also problematic. A user cannot “click into their app” from one of these other content types. In this sense, the apps are closed off from any interaction via push from other channels.

Large media publishers have already bumped into this problem. I can only suggest that neglecting a robust mobile web presence is a huge mistake. It’s the (almost) ubiquitous connective tissue for mobile interactions.

I would have gone a bit further, as I typically get passionate about things that seem obvious to me (apologies to M.D. for using the word passionate).

Here’s where I’m going: If a large and growing percentage of emails are opened on a mobile device, the email marketers (every e-commerce player) have a problem with their outbound emails as noted in the article. Check.

Some of the problems: 1) Often, they are not formatted for device 2) the links are to a www site that is slow, not technically optimized nor content-optimized for mobile use case 3) and MOST IMPORTANTLY – these users can’t act upon impulse to easily BUY anything from the merchant.

There is a stat in the article that deals with how many people will interact with the email a second time from their desktops. Even if I did believe that some significant portion of the audience will respond later via desktop to an offer they viewed on mobile, why would you force them to? Instead, I recommend providing an opportunity to buy right then and there from the mobile device.

This seems like an obvious opportunity to me.

Optimize your email program by learning the habits of your audience – or ask them.

Send mobile friendly emails

Create offers to mobile users that are time sensitive and compelling enough to act upon at the moment of impulse

Make it easy for them to click and buy right from their mobile device. I know of a great mobile web based credit card billing solution: Billing Revolution.